Dallas, Texas

"…so I suppose just like the Dallas Ewings, my life has been all about oil. Being my daddy's son and living in Alaska, there weren't really many other options, not that I'm complaining though, the oil business has served my side of the family well". Looking around the spacious living room and down to the heavy, probably very expensive, glass in his hand, it was obvious the oil industry had served his uncle's side of the family better than it had his father's, however, Jack wasn't stupid and he knew sounding anything close to bitter would not serve him well. He wanted his uncle to like him and to want to get to know him and he had a strong feeling that Jock Ewing wasn't the kind of man that tolerated complaining, unless he was the one doing the complaining, which oddly enough, from some of his comments earlier in the evening, it almost seemed like he was. From what he had gathered, his cousins JR and Bobby both currently worked for Ewing Oil, but Bobby was set to leave in a few weeks, and JR had done something that Jock wasn't all that pleased about, so despite being a proud father, Jock also had a slight negative tone in his voice when talking about his sons. If he understood correctly from his research, he had another cousin too, however Jock hadn't mentioned him once, and wanting to stay on his uncle's good side, he wasn't going to pry.

"My family and I had a good life in Alaska thanks to oil. My daddy chose a different path for himself and his family after splitting with you Jock; he's very focused on the practical end of the business, being out on the job, drilling, not putting deals together. That was my life for years too, I have a lot of experience in the fields, that's part of the reason why I find your stories and my daddy's stories about the old days so fascinating; knowing how things are now and comparing them to the past is interesting. What I find more interesting than drilling though is all of the other stuff that goes on behind the scenes, that's why I left Alaska, I wanted to see more of the other side of life. I don't expect anything from you, I just wanted to meet the family my daddy has spoken about, and if at all possible, see the company he was a part of". Making sure to explain that he wasn't looking for anything from his family, even though in the back of his mind he was, Jack hoped he sounded sincere as he spoke to his uncle and aunt, and from the nods and thoughtful 'mhms' Jock was responding with, he was fairly sure he did. Miss Ellie was a little less readable, she was nodding too and she seemed friendly enough, but she didn't seem to be quite as interested in what he had to say as her husband was, and he hoped that that was just because she was distracted by something else, not because he wasn't believable. Before he could get clarification though, the attention in the room was diverted as an energetic little blonde girl, a pretty brunette woman, and a slightly dazed looking young man entered the house, all apparently completely oblivious to anything but their own conversation.

"…Bobby, you heard what the doctor said, you need to rest. Lucy, will you make sure Bobby gets upstairs ok? I'll talk to your granddaddy and see that Teresa brings some pain pills ups", entering the house through the patio door, Sue Ellen directed her niece and brother-in-law to follow the doctor's orders and head upstairs. She didn't particularly want to talk to Jock, but as it was, she was probably the most appropriate person to explain what had happened. Bobby wasn't permanently injured and was perfectly able to have a conversation, but talking to Jock Ewing could give anyone a headache and since he already had one she didn't think it was wise to send him into the lion's den. Likewise, Lucy was also fine, but she was a child, an emotional child, and her version of events was likely to be inaccurate and dramatized. Walking down the hall and into the foyer, she turned instinctively and stopped as she realise what had made her feel like she needed to look behind her. Not only was Jock home, but so was Miss Ellie, and they were joined by another young man, one she didn't recognize but seemed to be making himself right at home if the bourbon in his hand and his relaxed demeanour were anything to go by. The Ewings were free to have guests if they wanted to, it wasn't any of her business if they did or didn't, what did surprise her and worry her a bit though was the fact that Miss Ellie was present. It was still relatively early, she, Bobby, and Lucy had only come home because of Bobby's injury, and they had only really been out because Miss Ellie and JR were supposed to be talking in private; if Miss Ellie was home already though, she didn't have high hopes that her and JR's discussion had gone well.

"What happened?" standing as she heard Sue Ellen's directions, Miss Ellie rushed over to her youngest son as he appeared in the foyer; he wasn't limping or writhing in pain, but something was clearly wrong, she could tell just by looking at him, and Sue Ellen's words backed up that idea. "Nothing mama, I fell over at the roller rink and hit my head. The doctor says I have a mild concussion and that I should rest. It's nothing to worry about, I feel ok, really", listening to Bobby's explanation, her eye's widened and she felt the need to step closer to check his head, even though he had said he'd already seen a doctor. Sensing him flinch as she touched his head, she made a sympathetic sound before turning toward Sue Ellen, thanking her for bringing him home, and then directing him to follow her upstairs the same way he had many times before.

A few minutes later, after directing Bobby to change into his pyjamas while she went to speak to Teresa, she closed his bedroom door and walked back down the hall. Passing JR's old bedroom, she was reminded of her evening before returning to Southfork, and as she did, she considered the look Sue Ellen had given her a few minutes prior, and suddenly, a few things became clearer to her. Bobby was her youngest son and sometimes she forgot that he was a grown man who didn't need his mother fussing over every little cut and bruise; kindly though, he didn't protest too much when she acted overly motherly toward him. In comparison, JR was her eldest son, her first baby, the son she had had the most years with, but for one reason or another, she had babied him a lot less than Gary or Bobby, and he resented her for it. Casting her mind back, she remembered a time in JR and Sue Ellen's early relationship where he had come home from the office early looking sickly and she had made sure to send him to bed with some chicken soup. Despite having a memory of the event and knowing she had looked after her son, she still felt bad, because other than that one memory, she couldn't recall another time in JR's teenage or adult life where she had treated him the same way she was treating Bobby now. None of her adult children needed to be coddled like children, but she was sure it was nice for them to feel loved when they weren't feeling very well, unfortunately though, the way she went about mothering her adult sons was just another unequal action in a long list of unequal actions, and her lack of self-awareness was a problem.

Downstairs, after watching Miss Ellie whisk Bobby away like a mother hen, Sue Ellen ushered Lucy into the living room to explain things to Jock and the stranger. Following her niece's lead, she took a seat on the couch and waited for an introduction and a verbal question before she spoke. "Lucy, Sue Ellen, this is Jack, my nephew, he's my brother Jason's son. Jack, this is Lucy, my granddaughter, and Sue Ellen, JR's wife", noticing Jock didn't refer to her as his daughter-in-law like he had in the past, she sensed that he was still a bit annoyed with JR, and indirectly with her, about his efforts to talk about the past. She couldn't hold Jock's attitude against Jack though, so in response to Jock's introduction, she politely smiled, nodded, and said a quick, "nice to meet you", before explaining what had happened to Bobby. Miss Ellie was handling Bobby's condition like an attentive mother, so now she was little more than the messenger, and after performing that duty all she really wanted to do was return home to JR; she needed to know he was ok, and if he wasn't, she wanted to be there to listen to him and comfort him. She loved the Ewing family and she cared about what was going on in their lives, but the Ewings that were most important to her were down the street at her house, not inside Southfork, so the sooner she could get home, the better.

To be continued…